Archive for 2013

In Mexico loncherías —snack bars— have a long history in the popular gastronomy and are usually a synonym for craving. With this tradition in mind, ARCO Arquitectura Contemporánea developed the interior design for Lonchería La Favorita, a new proposal for snacks cookery that is located on Insurgentes avenue in Mexico City. Architects Bernardo and Jose Lew, directors of ARCO, defined with the owners a well balanced project to make the most of the 70 sq m area.

The old cowshed in Glebe was a surprising find; a rare opportunity to preserve some of the character and charm of this eclectic neighbourhood and one we encouraged our clients to seize when they sought our advice on purchasing the property.

The cowshed sat on a small parcel of land bounded on three sides by roads. The building was simple, essentially a long brick wall that held the urban edge of corner and street and returned to house a few bedrooms in the place of the former stalls. It was the most basic of accommodation but the shed had a worn patina of stories and was well situated, hugging the southern boundary with provision for a private, north facing courtyard.

The Early Childcare Center West is the first childcare center built for the University of Chicago. The Center is located on a developing edge of the medical campus, and shall serve the families of both the University and Medical Center. On a University campus known for its combination of historic buildings and innovative architecture, the clients and architects worked to develop a language for the child care facility that creates a playful environment that’s fits with the campus environment.

The interior of this family home is characterized by 360-degree views. Perhaps the most spectacular of these being a view of the sky through an incision over the central stair. This opening delivers an immediate reading of exterior weather conditions, collecting precipitation and receiving direct sunlight.

Alejandro Sánchez García (Mexico, 1966) is a practicing architect currently living and working in Mexico City. He studied in the Universidad Iberoamericana in Mexico City where he graduated as an architect and urban planner, becoming the Architecture Student Body President in 1990 and 1991.

A new Chicago Transit Authority Morgan Street Elevated Station presented a unique opportunity, in the historic Fulton Market District, to define the geographic center and the character of this industrial loft area that is transforming into a multi-faceted neighborhood.

Located as it is in Gentilly in the vicinity of Paris, on rue Raymond Lefebvre where rows of houses go almost uninterrupted, this little detached house stands out.

The interval separating it from the next building allows for a nice view on the Bièvre valley and its towers, providing a frontal framing for this fragmented cityscape, thus creating an unexpected confrontation in this quiet, almost rural suburban atmosphere.

This end of terrace courtyard was dominated by an enormous back wall and a tall palm tree on the left. Yet it also had inspirational Italian owners and a fabulous collection of some mature architectural plants. I decided to retain all the plants in their positions as I felt this was an integral fabric of the garden. Only one plant was to be removed – an overgrown Viburnum in the right corner – to be replaced with a beautiful multi-stem bronzed trunk Tibetan Cherry. Coincidentally, retaining the plants enabled a diagonal design to be implemented, which meanders through the trees.

What to do with a 66m2 space when the brief includes 13 appliances, large preparation areas, 10 seater table, 3seater sofa, two large arm chairs with foot stools, 65 inch plasma with ALL the gizmo’s and a demand for a space that integrated their family and life into one space!

A good friend calls us to design a small hotel, 4 or 6 rooms on the hills of Lavalleja, Uruguay. The area is very well known for its spiritual tourism, as it is a very energetic place.

Visit to the area

there is definitely something very special about the energy of the hill: it is quite inaccessible, it is covered by low native vegetation. There are formations belonging to the earliest inhabitants of the place and archeological remains difficult to date. The views from up there are breathtaking. Our friend and his family are in love with the place, we feel incredibly motivated and challenged by the task.